Termination of Kingston Hospital Weight Management Services

Following recent changes to the national eligibility criteria for weight loss medications, issued by NHS England, and after an internal review of how we deliver weight management services, Kingston Hospital will no longer be providing a weight management service for either  interventions.

This decision affects approximately 258 medical patients. We will be contacting medical patients to inform them of this, and we will provide signposting to alternative support options such as locally available weight‑management programmes.

In communicating with patients, we will also make clear that GPs are not able to prescribe weight‑loss medication outside national guidance.

Patients who do meet the revised national eligibility criteria will be contacted directly, and so we will be asking that patients do not contact their GP about this.

There are currently 95 surgical patients on the waiting list. We are awaiting guidance from the ICB on where these patients should now be referred, and we will update colleagues as soon as this information is available.

 

Dr William Oldfield, Chief Medical Officer

Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust